A rezoning request for 127 acres of agricultural land along Goforth Road to residential has been met with vitriol and concern from surrounding residents.
Land owners Robert and Karen Schlortt have requested to rezone 127.46 acres of agricultural land to Neighborhood Commercial, Community Commercial, Residential Condominium and Single-Family Residential zones.
The land is currently used for agriculture and has one home on it but was annexed in 2016 as part of Kyle’s corporate limits. The land is south of the Southlake Ranch subdivision and the Kensington Trails neighborhood, which according to the city, is considered low density.
The property’s neighboring citizens disagree with the low-density diagnosis and have written to the city requesting the city deny the request or complete road work on Goforth Road and Bunton Creek Road beforehand.
When the proposal reached Kyle’s Planning and Zoning Commission, it passed as a recommendation with a 4-2 vote. The dissenting votes were due to a lack of information provided at the time regarding a metes and bounds survey that described the locations of the various zones within the property.
“I am one of the property owners that will be affected by this zoning,” said Karla Sosawong, a Kyle resident who spoke at the meeting. “The only concern that I have is the fact that we are already affected by some of the drainage there. It is a problem with how busy the road is.”
Sosawong said that the residents there pay for stormwater fees but have not seen any services done for the water in the area. Sosawong said she believes the area’s traffic and water issues will get worse with another development in the area.
The council voted 7-0 to approve on the first reading of the property after hearing complaints from residents and proposals from the property’s agent. The request for condominium zoning was rejected and is to be zoned as single-family residential also.
Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell however, made an objection and asked to bring the proposal back again for a second reading to be heard with a proposal for Casetta Ranch, a neighboring property using the same road which is heading to council for preliminary approval.
“I wanted to look at those properties together,” Mitchell said. “They’re using the same roads we adopted from the county that are too old to keep up with the traffic.”
Mitchell and the council are expected to strike a deal with both of the developers for each respective property this week, according to Mitchell.
“To fix Bunton Creek, it is going to cost a couple million dollars we don’t have,” Mitchell said. “If we can use fees from these developers to cover half the cost, then we can go forth with both projects and everyone wins. We wouldn’t have to increase taxes.”
The final decision is to be made this week, and if approved, will help refurbish Bunton Creek Road once those fees are paid. Mitchell warns residents not to expect to see construction immediately, as the city would have to wait for the fees to come in for a year or possibly longer.
